Ras route sure to test strong field

CYCLING: With less than four months to go until the start of the 2006 FBD Insurance Rás, race organiser Dermot Dignam has released details of the route for the Irish tour. This year's event will start and finish in Dublin, following a course some 1,230 kilometres in length and travelling through the south, west and east of the country.

A strong international field is expected for the 2.2-ranked international event, which gets under way on Sunday 21st May. The riders will face 23 categorised climbs, six stages over 150 kilometres, a team time trial plus a longer-than-usual final stage. First-time stage finishes in An Cheathrú Rua (Carraroe), Clara and Skerries will feature, plus return visits to Enniscorthy, Cobh, An Daingean (Dingle), Listowel and Westport.

"The combination of so many climbs and the big number of long stages will make things tough for the riders," said Dignam yesterday.

The race starts on May 21st with a mainly flat stage from Dublin to Enniscorthy. This 121-kilometre leg will take in two category-three climbs along the way. It also features two hot-spot sprints, offering time bonuses which may help determine the first yellow jersey.

Day two is the longest of the race, with 180 kilometres and three categorised climbs lying between the start in Enniscorthy and the steep uphill finish in Cobh. Another uphill finish features 24 hours later in An Daingean, although before reaching the end of the 173-kilometre leg, the peloton will slug it out over four category-three ascents earlier in the day.

On paper at least, the 150-kilometre fourth stage is likely to be the toughest. The roads of Kerry bring a total of seven categorised climbs, including the gruelling first-category climb of The Maum, which comes close to the finish in Listowel.

Following a ferry transfer from Kerry to Clare, things flatten out somewhat on the following day's stage from Kilrush to An Cheathrú Rua. Two stages will take place on the following day. A 24-kilometre team time trial starting and finishing in An Cheathrú Rua is followed by an 83-kilometre afternoon stage to Westport. This will take in two third-category climbs along the way.

The penultimate stage of the race will take place on Saturday 27th May and while it is mainly flat, speeds will be high along the 168-kilometre route from Westport to Clara. Twenty-four hours later the field will slug it out for the final time as the race reaches its climax with another tough stage. In a break with tradition, the last day will be a fully-fledged road stage rather than a circuit race. The riders will face a total of four categorised climbs between the start in Clara and the finish in Skerries, including one on each of the two laps of a tough 13.7-kilometre finishing circuit.

SUNDAY: Plush Winter Downhill league, Moneyscalp.